Eight players
averaged over 20 minutes per game last year at San Diego State and all eight of
them are back. Coach Steve Fisher has a deep and talented team and there will be
few excuses, barring more injuries, for this group not to make a postseason
tournament.

Who’s Out:

The bottom four
minute earners from the 2007-2008 campaign are the only departures and even all
of them might not be gone. Jer’Vaughn Johnson, Chris Lamb and Jon Pastorek all
averaged under ten minutes per game during their final season with the Aztecs.
Matt Thomas started eight games and could return for a fifth year pending NCAA
approval.

Who’s In:

Even with all the
returning talent, San Diego State could use some more options on the perimeter.
Walk-ons Bryan Horton and Jason Deutchman are probably not the answer, but Tim
Island could be. The junior college transfer, who spent his freshman campaign at
Long Beach State, is a good shooter. At 6-6, he also has nice size for a two
guard in the MWC. Another junior college transfer, Mehdi Cheriet, will add more
depth in the paint. Cheriet can hit the outside shot and can provide some depth
at the center spot using his 6-9 and 200 pound frame.

Who to Watch:

No team can match
the depth and talent of the Aztecs frontcourt. Lorrenzo Wade and Kyle Spain* are
the leaders. Wade averaged 14.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists last year
and earned first-team all-conference honors. Wade is not a great outside
shooter, but he makes up for it by getting to the basket. If the outside shot
starts falling, nobody will be able to stop Wade. Spain was the most prolific
outside shooter on the team and the 6-5 forward is versatile enough to play at
the two guard spot. And with the talent in the frontcourt, having Spain play at
shooting guard would make sense. That would allow Billy White or Tim Shelton to
slide into the starting lineup. White averaged 8.5 points and 5.9 rebounds en
route to conference freshman of the year honors. It was when Shelton went down
with a knee injury that White got the opportunity to shine. Now Shelton is back
after playing in four contests and averaging ten points per game in those games.
His ability to play inside and out will give SDSU yet another dynamic scorer in
the frontcourt…as long as he can stay healthy. The center spot belongs to Ryan
Amoroso. At 6-8 and 257 pounds, he is big enough to clog the paint. Amoroso, who
averaged 11.4 points and a team high 6.5 rebounds as a junior, can score from
the perimeter, but his ability to score in the paint frees up space for his
teammates.

Final Projection:

The pressure is on the backcourt to help the Aztecs live up to their vast
potential. Kelvin Davis had a decent year in San Diego after transferring in
from the College of Southern Idaho. For the most part he was used as a shooter
off the bench during the 2007-2008 campaign, but he has the potential to step
into a starting role if he can hold off Island. Yet, he also needs to perform
well enough for Coach Steve Fisher to want to keep a guard on the floor instead
of sliding Spain down to the shooting guard position. At the point there are
options with Richie Williams and D.J. Gay. Williams is the experienced option,
but Gay started 26 games as a freshman. Neither are great scorers, but that is
not what the Aztecs need out of their point guard. As long as the duo at the
point can keep the turnovers down and find the scorers, San Diego State will be
a dangerous team in the Mountain West Conference. But those turnovers have been
a problem in the past and if that trend continues, there will be disappointment
on The Mesa.

Projected Post-season Tournament:
NIT

Projected Starting Five:

Richie Williams, Senior, Guard, 6.9 points per game

Kelvin Davis, Senior, Guard, 7.5 points per game

Kyle Spain, Senior, Forward, 13.2 points per game

Lorrenzo Wade, Senior, Forward, 14.8 points per game

Ryan Amoroso, Senior, Forward, 11.4 points per game

*Note: The status of suspended Kyle Spain for the upcoming season is uncertain as of today. His absence would be a major blow.

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About Joel Welser

ColumnistCollege Preview Editor

Contactjwelser@collegehoops.net

Background

"Joel Welser does a tremendous job covering college basketball. He gives his readers knowledgeable and insightful information on college hoops." -Ernie Zeigler, Head Basketball Coach, Central Michigan University "Joel Welser writes clean, knowledgeable copy that always hits deadline." -Greg Eno, former editor-in-chief, Motor City Sports Magazine Growing up in Michigan, Joel Welser inherited a love for Big Ten sports. After defying all family traditions and not going to Michigan State, Joel headed out west to earn his bachelor degree from California State University, Northridge in Cinema Television Arts, specializing in screenwriting. For reasons still unknown, after his stint in Hollywood, Joel headed back to Michigan where he remains to this day complaining about the cold. Joel has found a successful formula with the popular top 144 series at collegehoops.net and has also written college football and college basketball previews and articles for various websites and magazines.